*SHIPPING OPTIONS VARY DEPENDING ON THE DESTINATION, PLEASE SCROLL TO THE END OF THIS LISTING FOR MORE DETAILS.

This listing is for a small Shigaraki jizo. It has been hand-shaped and is modelled on the children’s story named Kasajizo. Kasajizo is a story about a poor old hat maker and his wife. It was just before New Year and the old couple were running very low on food. A baby mouse appeared looking for food scraps, so the old man gave the little mouse some of the last rice they had left. To thank the old man the parents of the mouse went out into the snow and gathered some straw so he could make hats. The old couple were so happy for their help, and they all sat down and got to work on making some hats to sell for food. When the hats were finished, the old man set off for town so he could make some money and buy some food for New Year. On the way into town he noticed that the heads of the jizo statues were covered in snow. He felt sorry for them and used his towel to wipe off the snow. After this he continued on into town. The town was busy but nobody wanted to buy a hat from the old man. Night drew near and the people disappeared. Saddened he began to make the journey back home. Just as he was passing the jizo statues he noticed once more that their heads were covered in snow. He felt so sorry for them out in the cold, so he decided to give the straw hats to them for protection. He only had five hats, but there were six jizo. He thought about it and decided to give the other jizo his towel. He wrapped the towel around the jizo’s head and then continued on towards home. The mice were excited to see the empty load, but the old man told them the story. His wife said that he did a good thing by giving the jizo the hats, and prepared some hot water and a few beans for their dinner. Then in the middle of the night they were awoken by voices. The voices were calling out, “New Year’s delivery! New Year’s delivery! Where is the house of the old hat seller!” Everyone was astonished to see the jizo pulling a sleigh laden with food for the New Year. One jizo piped up and said, “Old man, thank you very much for the hats. We leave this food in return for your kindness.” Then off they went. The next day the old man set off with a load of mochi and special New Year food for the jizo. He set down the food and said, “Jizo sama, I can now make an offering to you - Happy New Year!” 

Shigaraki-ware refers to pottery made in Shiga Prefecture. Shigaraki is perhaps one of the more well known types of stoneware with its origins dating back to the Kamakura period. The Shiga region is home to one of the six oldest kilns in Japan, and this is because of its superb clay. It has a reddish-orange colour, along with a natural ash glaze acquired from the deposit of ashes in the kilns. Pieces of quartz, feldspar or silica can often be found on the surface, giving Shigaraki a wonderful gritty texture and rustic charm. Historically potters produced wares specifically for the tea ceremony, however craftsmen gradually shifted to producing items such as vases and sake bottles as well.

Size

H.7.3cm (2.8”) x 4cm (1.5”) across at the widest point (his hat)

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION                                                                 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway: Airmail Small Packet (approx. 15-28 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail Small Packet (please send us a message).

**Asia:  Airmail Small Packet (approx. 15-21 days).  Combined shipping available up to 2kgs for Airmail Small Packet (please send us a message).

**Central Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico:  EMS Express 10-15 days.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.